The Aspectual Meaning of Non-Aspectual Constructions

The distinction between perfective and imperfective aspect has been identified in many languages across the world. This paper shows that even do not have a dedicated perfective—imperfective may endow verbal construction is specifically aspectual with value. crucial diagnostic for identifying perfectivity given non-aspectual difference temporal interpretation of clauses involving construction, licensed by actionality class main predicate: while stative verbs present interpretation, dynamic yield non-present (past or future) interpretation. pattern interaction triggered phenomenon referred to as ‘present paradox’, i.e., impossibility aligning situations time speaking at same conceptualizing them their entirety. latter type construal argued be function aspect. range constructions underlying semantics includes ‘iamitive’ markers, an evidential, epistemic supposition marker, focus polar question declarative marker. These come from typologically different genetically unrelated languages, illustrating cross-linguistic salience category